Thailand's Prime Minister said yesterday the government was preparing to clear an area of Bangkok defended by thousands of anti-government protesters.

Ready to clear them out

But Thai govt says it will give warning before it begins
05:55 AM May 03, 2010
BANGKOK - Thailand's Prime Minister said yesterday the government was preparing to clear an area of Bangkok defended by thousands of anti-government protesters.

"We are sending a signal that we have given people enough time to leave (the occupied zone). We are in the process of ... cutting off support before we move in,'' Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a press interview.

Mr Abhisit declined to elaborate on a plan announced earlier to end the crisis, which he said did not include the declaration of martial law. In an emergency meeting yesterday, the Cabinet approved special funding for the police to contain the demonstrators.

"My belief is that the majority of the people want the protest to end ... This is a situation we have to handle," Mr Abhisit said.

The mostly-poor protesters, who view the government as an illegitimate puppet of Bangkok's elite and the military, are demanding Mr Abhisit's resignation, the dissolution of Parliament and new elections.

Mr Abhisit has rejected the call for quick elections and suspended talks with protesters. But he said the demonstrators would be given prior warning. "We continue to exercise restraint and patience and the best solution is one that does not involve violence," he said.

In a small concession, the demonstrators on yesterday shifted their tire barricades away from Chulalongkorn Hospital on the edge of their protest site in a move intended to allow the medical facility to reopen.

Mr Nattawut Saikua, a Red Shirt leader, said the Red Shirt raid on the hospital was a mistake and offered an apology.

The International Crisis Group think tank said on Saturday Thailand's political system had broken down and expressed fears the standoff could "deteriorate into an undeclared civil war". But Mr Abhisit said only in three or four of the country's provinces was there "a (protest) movement in parallel with Bangkok that has to be handled. The rest of the country is well under control." AP